At 23, Asif is less than he wanted to be. His mother’s sudden death forced him back home to look after his youngest sister, Yasmin, and he leads a frustrating life, ruled by her exacting need for routine. Everyone tells Asif that he’s a good boy, but he isn’t so sure. Lila has escaped from home, abandoning Asif to be the sole carer of their difficult sister. Damaged by a childhood of uneven treatment, as Yasmin’s needs always came first, she leads a wayward existence, drifting between jobs and men, obsessed with her looks and certain that her value is only skin deep. And then there is Yasmin, who has no idea of the resentment she has caused. Who sees music in colour and remembers so much that sometimes her head hurts. Who doesn’t feel happy, but who knows that she is special. Who has a devastating plan. THE WAY THINGS LOOK TO ME is an affecting, comically tender portrayal of a family in crisis, caught between duty and love in a tangled relationship both bitter and bittersweet.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Farooki's moving third novel (after Corner Shop) is told from the perspective of London-born siblings still coping with the death of their unmarried mother after five years. At 23, Asif Murphy has become the reluctant head of the family that includes brooding Lila, a year younger, and 19-year-old Yasmin, whose Asperger's requires Asif to enforce a strict schedule. Asif, however, shares Lila's complicated feelings for this girl who so monopolized their mother's affection and time, resulting in "a childhood of uneven treatment without the satisfaction of actual neglect." The two turn apoplectic after learning that Yasmin will be featured in a TV show about living with autism, but are both too busy to notice when their sister's perspective begins to change. Told in first-person sections, these chapters form the basis for Yasmin's show, point to Farooki's title, and reveal the book's somewhat faulty heart. Basing a novel around an autistic child is less than inspired, but Farooki rises above the cliché to deftly depict how family can encapsulate strife while also being a form of salvation. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Roopa Farooki was born in Lahore in Pakistan, and brought up in London. She graduated from New College, Oxford in 1995 and worked in advertising before turning to write fiction. Roopa now lives in North London and South West France with her husband and son.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
What a bore. This was the first book of Roopa's that I read. I was at home, bored and picked it up. It certainly looked promising. The characters were not likeable at all, the Asperger's Disorder fairly well researched but not wholly convincing as Yasmin seems to have lapses into normal behavior. At times it felt like a lecture series on Asperger's. There were too many expository lumps where information was being disguised as dialogue. A lot of author intrusion. The story didn't feel authentic and I was not drawn in at all. I found myself very irritated with the older sister Lila. I abandoned this book a third of the way through. Very disappointing.
1 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I chose this book because I so enjoyed the author's earlier novel "Bitter Sweets". I was not disappointed! Appreciated the story being told from the point of view of each of the three (3) children in the family and how each perceived their own lives being affected by Asberger's. Believe the plot could have been a bit more well-developed, and the love interests of the characters seemed to blossom a bit too easily to be believable. However, overall, it was an enjoyable read.....NMR
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